*Detailed* First Look posted for Nikon Coolpix 4500!By
Dave Etchells(Wednesday, May 29, 2002 - 03:19 EDT)Dave tries out Nikon's just-announced update to the Coolpix 9XX line...This is the second of the new Nikon consumer models I tested, the update to(and most likely replacement of) the Coolpix 995. This model has the familiar swivel-body design of the Coolpix 9xx series, but is much more trim, compact, and sleek-looking than the 995. Die-hard "give me a metal body or give me death" types will rejoice at Nikon's return to an all-metal-alloy body design on this model. (Really, the 995's plastic body was every bit as tough as the 990's magnesium case, but there's just that je ne sais quoi about metal that can't be argued with. The 4500 has it.)

In terms of ergonomics and design, I think the Nikon engineers really outdid themselves on this one, it just fits your hand beautifully. Oh - but how about the innards? I'm sure readers will be happy to learn that the 4500 also sports a full 4 megapixel CCD, a nice upgrade from the 3.1MP of the 995. There are lots of other tweaks and enhancements too, adding up to what promises to be a very nice camera.

The only fly I found in the ointment was that the shutter response of the prototype unit was really on the sluggish side, at 1.3-1.4 seconds. This could very well be a prototype issue though, so stay tuned and reserve judgement on that aspect until I can test a production model. And of course, image quality is the key determiner of how good a camera it is.

Stay tuned for that, I'll be updating this review along with the one for the 5700 just as soon as Nikon can get me a production model to test. Meanwhile, check it out!